Going Home

Antonín Dvorák wrote his 9th Symphony From the New World while he was the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America. He was directly influenced by Harry T. Burleigh, a student at the National Conservatory at the time.

The musical theme from the Largo movement was adapted into the spiritual-like “Goin' Home” by Dvorák pupil William Arms Fisher. This beautiful melody along with the powerful lyrics are here set in an African American gospel style, including a quote from the spiritual “Deep River.”